No compromises on Telangana’s share in RDS: Irrigation Minister

Hyderabad, June 22 : Telangana’s Minister for Irrigation, Uttam Kumar Reddy, on Monday made it clear that there will be no compromise on Telangana’s allocated water share in the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS).

He stated that the state government is taking all measures to safeguard the interests of farmers in the RDS ayacut.

The minister held a high-level review meeting on RDS and Tungabhadra Dam issues at the B.R. Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat. The meeting undertook a comprehensive review of Tungabhadra water distribution issues.

The meeting was held amid the ongoing controversy over the alleged unauthorised drawal of Krishna river waters by Andhra Pradesh. Last week, a team of engineers from the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) inspected RDS in Karnataka and held a review meeting with officials from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The minister directed officials to strongly assert Telangana’s rights regarding the utilisation of Tungabhadra waters. He declared that protecting Telangana’s rights is the government’s primary objective.

He asked them to remain vigilant to ensure Telangana farmers do not suffer losses due to the actions of upstream states.

He further said the government will fight on all platforms for the rights and irrigation security of Telangana farmers.

The minister also asked officials to give priority to the irrigation needs of farmers in the Krishna River basin. He stated that an action plan has been formulated to strongly present Telangana’s arguments before tribunals, boards and in inter-state meetings.

He asked officials to prepare a comprehensive report covering legal, technical and administrative aspects.

He reiterated that the government is committed to fully utilising Telangana’s allocated water share and will strongly oppose any decision that harms the state’s interests.

MLA Sanjeeva Reddy, Principal Secretary (Irrigation) E. Sridhar, and Joint Secretary K. Srinivas N.C. Ramesh Babu and others participated in the meeting.